In the deep, deep bottom of the sea, (there) lives six mermaid princesses. They are all very beautiful, especially the youngest princess. She likes the most to listen to her sisters telling many stories on the sea suffice. The little princess wishes that one day herself can go to the sea surface to have a look.Waiting and waiting, finally she waited till her 15th birthday. This day, the little mermaid swam to the surface, and she saw there was a big boat on the surface. Right on the fore, standing a handsome prince. The little mermaid fell in love with him immediately.

Suddenly, a big wind blew on the sea. It overturned the big boat. The prince fell into the sea. It took the little mermaid a lot of effort to save the prince and put him on the shore.

At this moment, the mermaid heard footsteps, and she hided behind a rock. There came a girl. She gently awakened the prince. The prince smiled to that girl:”Thank you for having saved me.”

The little mermaid couldn’t forget about the prince. She found the witch at the bottom of the sea, and pleaded her to turn her fish tail into human’s legs.

The witch said:”I have method to turn you into humans. But when your tail becomes feet, it’ll be as painful as knife cuts when you walk. Also, if the prince marries someone else, you will turn into bubbles and die. Lastly, you have to give me your beautiful voice.”

The mermaid agreed. She drank the poison from the witch. Some time passed, her tail slowly turned into two long and slim legs.

“Miss, what happened to you?” When the mermaid opened her eyes again, in front of her was the prince. But the mermaid couldn’t answer him, because she already gave her voice to the witch. The prince took the little mermaid back to the castle.

However, the prince finally decided to marry the girl who saved him.

The little mermaid came to the seaside and cried sadly. At this moment, her sisters appeared. They took from the witch a dagger. Before the sunrise, the little mermaid only needed to pierce into the prince’s heart with the dagger, and let his blood drop on her legs, she could then regain her fish tail, and return to the sea.

The mermaid carried the dagger and entered the prince’s room secretly when he was asleep. But she couldn’t do it. The mermaid couldn’t bear to hurt the prince, because she loved him deeply.

It was getting bright. The little mermaid looked at the person she loved deeply and the face of his bride. Her body became lighter and lighter. The wind blew it away and she became the bubbles on the sea surface.

Homework:

1. 请你说一说美人鱼的故事

2. 巫师把美人鱼的尾巴变成人的双腿需要三个条件。它们是什么?

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